Industry research from Gartner and Nemertes consistently shows that a majority of unified communication (UC) rollouts underperform against expectations—often cited as roughly 70% failing to meet their goals. Companies invest heavily in the promise of seamless collaboration, fewer silos, and stronger productivity, yet too often adoption lags, employees grow frustrated, and executives question whether the investment was worth it. This is a reality many CIOs and IT Directors know all too well.

The critical question becomes: why do these platforms fail, and more importantly, how can you fix them?

Did you know that more than 90% of employees use streaming services daily and nearly everyone interacts with voice assistants or video calls at home? Those habits are shaping what they expect in the workplace.

Imagine this: At home, your employees can stream a 4K movie with a voice command, hop on FaceTime in seconds, and control their entire environment with a smartphone. But when they walk into your conference room, they’re fumbling with remotes, adapters, and a dozen logins just to start a meeting.

That disconnect isn’t just frustrating, it’s reshaping the future of commercial AV. Today’s workforce, students, and customers don’t separate their personal tech experiences from their professional ones. If Netflix can deliver instant, seamless, and beautiful user experiences, why can’t your workplace or campus?

This shift in consumer expectation is driving some of the most important AV trends we’re seeing today. And for organizations willing to embrace it, the payoff goes far beyond convenience, it’s about ROI, competitive advantage, and reimagining how people connect in your spaces.

In Part 1 of this series, we explored the strategic mindset behind AV system maintenance: why it’s not just about fixing technology when it breaks, but about aligning it with your broader facility goals. Now, let’s shift from strategy to action.

This second installment walks through what proactive maintenance looks like in practice, with real-world examples that show how facility managers can stay ahead of AV issues. Whether you manage it in-house or through a Comprehensive Service & Maintenance Agreement (CSMA), the goal is the same: reliability, predictability, and peace of mind.

Seven seconds. That’s all it takes for a first impression to harden into a lasting perception. That's all it takes when a prospective client is stepping through your lobby doors deciding what kind of company you are. The polished floors, lighting, and welcome desk all play a role, but in today’s business climate, it’s the technology that speaks the loudest. A dynamic video wall might display a looping montage of your latest product launches, a real-time social media feed celebrating client wins, or a stunning visual journey through your company’s history. Interactive displays could let visitors navigate a touchscreen map to find their meeting room, or browse recent sustainability initiatives. Digital signage might greet them by name and highlight relevant case studies from their industry.

Picture this: It’s 8:45 AM. Your day is mapped out with back-to-back meetings, a budget review, and a walk-through of the new lobby renovation. Then the call comes in: the AV system in your flagship conference room is down. Not glitchy, not laggy, but completely offline. In fifteen minutes, your executive team is supposed to pitch to a high-profile client. The vendor you used is “on their way,” but it’s already too late to save the impression.

For a facility manager, moments like these aren’t just inconvenient; they’re reputation-shaking. One failed system can throw an entire day, department, or event into chaos. The difference between a crisis and a non-event often comes down to one thing: whether AV maintenance is handled strategically or reactively.

That’s why this first part of our two-part series focuses on the strategic mindset behind AV system maintenance. In Part 2, we’ll get into the nuts and bolts of proactive upkeep and how Comprehensive Service & Maintenance Agreements (CSMAs) keep your facility ahead of the curve. But first, let’s talk strategy.

You walk into a high-stakes boardroom presentation. Half the team joins remotely, the in-room screen flickers, and the audio delays by two seconds. The CTO winces at the lag. The CIO shakes their head, knowing this wasn’t the first time. You’re not alone.

For many enterprise organizations, AV systems have long been treated as isolated upgrades or departmental whims. But in today’s world of hybrid collaboration, global teams, and unified communication, disjointed AV strategies are no longer sustainable. Worse, they can become a competitive liability. The challenge? Bridging the divide between tech innovation and IT infrastructure and aligning those priorities through standardization and long-term strategy.

This is where forward-thinking CIOs and CTOs have an opportunity to shine together.

Picture this: a brilliant professor stands in front of a packed lecture hall, ready to deliver a captivating presentation. But instead of engaging the room, she’s fumbling with disconnected cables, outdated projectors, and inconsistent AV controls. Across campus, a science lab with cutting-edge equipment has no reliable way to capture simulations for remote students. Meanwhile, the IT team fields daily support tickets from frustrated staff trying to figure out ten different AV setups across ten different classrooms.

Sound familiar?

For years, enterprise AV and IT teams have been focused on rooms: conference rooms, huddle spaces, boardrooms, classrooms, training centers. But today, something bigger is happening behind the scenes. As organizations grow more distributed, more digital, and more reliant on mission-critical collaboration tech, the most strategic leaders are shifting their focus from rooms to command centers, specifically, Network Operations Command Centers (NOCCs).

It’s a move that signals maturity. A move from one-off project thinking to platform thinking. From chasing outages to proactively monitoring performance. From waiting for the phone to ring to seeing potential issues before users even notice.

This is the evolution of enterprise AV and IT operations.